The present invention relates to systems and methods for transmitting and receiving voice and data in multiple modes, and more particularly to systems and methods for multiple native mode voice and data transmissions and receptions with a communications system having a multi-bus structure, including, for example, a time division multiplexed (xe2x80x9cTDMxe2x80x9d) bus, a packet bus, and a control bus, and multi-protocol framing engines, preferably including subsystem functions such as PBX, voice mail, file server, web server, communications server, telephony server, LAN hub and data router, and method for performing telephony and data functions using the same, and still more particularly to methods for implementing language capabilities using such systems and methods.
Businesses, particularly small to medium size offices, typically have a need for a variety of voice and data communications. For example, a typical office might have a dedicated fax machine, using a dedicated or shared telephone line, one or more telephone lines for voice communications, perhaps coupled to a central or distributed voice mail system(s), and one or more computers or computer networks, often coupled to telephone lines via one or more modems. Many offices now use the Internet in some form for business communications or research or the like, often by way of a modem or modem pool coupled to individual computers.
Typically, such business communication needs have been fulfilled with piecemeal technical solutions, typically from separate equipment and service vendors, and with separate hardware, software and design considerations.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional small office communication configuration. Voice communication system 1 typically is implemented by way of multiple analog trunks 16 from wide area network (xe2x80x9cWANxe2x80x9d) 18. WAN 18 often consists of a telecommunication network by way of a local telephone company or other telecommunications service provider. Analog trunks 16 may be directed through switching system 10, which may be a conventional PBX or similar telephone switch. Telephones 12 and voice mail system 14 are coupled to switching system 10. Often, dedicated analog line 16A is coupled to facsimile 44 for facsimile communications.
Data system 2 typically is implemented with a plurality of computers (or workstations, etc.) 24 interconnected by way of packet network 26, which may be a standard Ethernet compliant network or other office network. Network 26 often is coupled to remote access server 32, which is connected to one or more analog trunks 40, and which may include one or more modems in a modem pool. Computers 24 may communicate with remote systems via the modem pool of remote access server 32 over analog lines 40 and WAN 42. Network 26 typically includes a connection to printer 22 and file server 20. In more sophisticated systems, network 26 may be coupled to switching hub 28 and router 30, which is coupled to WAN 42 over digital trunks 38. Data system 2 also may include a connection between one or more of computers 24 to modem 36, which in term is coupled to WAN 42 over dedicated analog trunk 40A.
Such a conventional system often is characterized by piecemeal equipment and network solutions, limited or non-existent coordination and management between voice system 1 and data system 2, non-optimized or non-integrated equipment, and inefficient use of costly network services (telephone lines, data lines, etc.), such as duplicate and often idle phone and data network lines, often provided from multiple equipment/service providers. In general, such conventional systems are neither constructed nor operated in a manner to provide efficient and integrated voice/data communications.
With respect to language capabilities in such systems, in previous systems supporting voice/audio prompt and information capabilities, it was understood that, due to the particular intricacies and nuances of the particular languages (e.g., sentence structure, syntax, grammar, dialects, etc.), such voice/audio prompts and/or information (as used hereinafter, generally xe2x80x9cvoice promptsxe2x80x9d) are programmed uniquely for each set of voice prompts for each language. Thus, for each particular language or language variant to be supported in the system, software must be written to specifically implement the set of voice prompts to support the particular language or language variant. This typically would require that a programmer and a linguist or other language specialist expend substantial time and resources, etc., to specifically write code for each particular language/language variant to be supported by the system. As the need for additional language/language variant support arises, this inevitably results in substantial delays and expense while such software is developed and debugged, etc.
The present invention is intended to address various disadvantages of such conventional communication systems. The present invention provides various systems and methods, perhaps more succinctly a platform, by which voice and data communications may occur in multiple modes and various protocols, and more particularly systems and methods for multiple native mode voice and data transmissions and receptions with a communications/computing system having a multi-bus structure, including, for example, a TDM bus, a packet bus and a control bus, and multi-protocol framing engines, preferably including subsystem functions such as PBX, voice mail and other telephony functions, email and/or file server, Internet server, LAN hub and data router. With the present invention, a platform and various processes are provided in which a TDM bus and a packet bus are intelligently bridged and managed, thereby enabling such multiple mode/protocol voice and data transmissions to be intelligently managed and controlled with a single, integrated system.
In preferred embodiments, a computer or other processor includes a local area network controller, which provides routing and hubs and/or switches for one or more packet networks. The computer also is coupled to a multiple buffer/framer, which serves to frame/deframe data to/from the computer from TDM bus. The buffer/framer includes a plurality of framer/deframer engines, supporting, for example, ATM and HDLC framing/deframing, and raw buffering of voice data or the like. The buffer/framer is coupled to the TDM bus by way of a multiple port or multiport switch/multiplexer, which includes the capability to intelligently map data traffic between the buffer/framer and the TDM bus to various slots of the TDM frames. Preferably, a DSP pool is coupled to one or more switch/multiplexer ports and/or the buffer/framer in a manner to provide various signal processing and telecommunications support, such as dial tone generation, DTMF detection and the like. The TDM bus is coupled to a various line/station cards, serving to interface the TDM bus with telephone, facsimiles and other telecommunication devices, and also with a various digital and/or analog WAN network services. The present invention provides a platform by which processing functions may be switched to provide support for a wide range of network, vendor and application services.
With the present invention, a full PBX-type telecommunication system may be provided by way of the computer/processor and associated telephony hardware and software. Functions such as voice mail, automated attendant, call forwarding, hold, transfer, caller ID, conferencing and other telephony functions may be similarly provided. While supporting such telephony functions in their native mode primarily by way of the TDM bus, the computer/processor also supports concurrent packet data transmissions over the LAN subsystem and packet bus(es). As needed to efficiently support various voice/data communications in the particular office/work environment, the buffer/framer and switch/multiplexer provide a multi-protocol router functionality, enabling the TDM bus traffic and the packet bus traffic to be intelligently bridged and managed without degradation of each other, and without requiring translation or transcoding. With the present invention, the same WAN services may be intelligently managed and controlled for simultaneous voice, video, and data traffic.
The computer/processor supports a variety of applications, such as remote configuration, management and back-up, bandwidth allocation and control, least cost routing, voice over Internet Protocol (or xe2x80x9cvoice over IPxe2x80x9d), as well various telephony related applications. In certain preferred embodiments, audio/video data streams, including such as H.320 and H.323 data streams, also are intelligently managed and controlled. In certain preferred embodiments, management applications (such as the SNMP protocol) enable the system to be remotely monitored and configured via a web browser-type access.
In accordance with particular preferred embodiments of the present invention, language support for such systems is accomplished by way of a program/data structure so that additional language support may be readily implemented by a non-software coder using grammar and voice prompt files, which are preferably located in a predetermined directory in the system. Thus, in the example of the need to add a language/language variant to a particular system, grammar and voice prompt files may be created by a person (or persons) with appropriate knowledge in the particular language/language variant, without requiring the development of specific software (by a software programmer, etc.) to implement such additional language/language variant.
In accordance with the present invention, various telephony and data functions useful in offices and other settings may be more conveniently and efficiently performed, and various methods for performed telephony and data functions are provided in accordance with various preferred embodiments of the present invention.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide simultaneous voice, video and data communications with a single, integrated system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an intelligently controlled and managed processor bridge between one or more TDM buses and one or more packet buses.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an integrated PBX, router and hub to support such simultaneous voice, video and data communications.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a multi-protocol buffer/framer and switch/multiplexer in order to provide multi-protocol routing and intelligent time slot mapping to the TDM bus, preferably including DSP resources coupled to the buffer/framer.
It is an object of the present invention to provide systems and methods allowing a broad set of services and functions to co-exist in the same system, and leveraging shared resources while providing a high level interface and intelligence that allows for the shared resources to be dynamically allocated and re-allocated.
It is an object of the present invention to provide various methods of performing telephony and data functions in novel and more efficient ways, particularly in combination with the various preferred embodiments of systems in accordance with the present invention.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide improved methods for implementing language capabilities in such systems, including providing language support for such systems by way of a program/data structure so that additional language support may be readily implemented by a non-software coder using grammar and voice prompt files, which are preferably located in a predetermined directory in the system.
Other objects, features and advantages of the various embodiments of the present invention described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art.